It has been called Canada's most photographed lighthouse, but the light at Peggy's Cove is also getting a lot of unwanted attention.
Vandals are changing the look of the familiar structure while locals and visitors alike say they've had enough of it.
Stickers mar the window of the old post office in the Peggy's Cove lighthouse. There's also graffiti on the other side.
Some tourists are not impressed with the view.
"I don't like it," said Tricia Hill, a tourist from Toronto. "It looks like they're trying to deface the property."
Said Aisha Ahmed, who is also from Toronto: "If I come to see a historical site, I want to see it the way that it was, I don't want to see us kind of leave our stamp."
But some have a more positive reaction, such as Dave Ralph of Kamloops.
"I think there must have been visitors from all over the world at this little place and they've left their mark on the lighthouse," he said.
For locals, though, the practice is disrespectful.
"It's not very thoughtful because you're kind of taking away that beauty for the next people who are going to come through," said Geena Morse. "You're almost selfishly ruining that, just so you can have a memory of leaving a sticker somewhere."
Shannon Gough works at one of the stores in the village, and suggests people who want to leave a mark could do so in several of the guest books in the area.
"You're coming here to see the beauty for the lighthouse, for the whole ambiance of the village, and then to turn around and just disgrace it that way -- I'm just in shock," Gough said.
Or, post your selfie to share the memory.
"If you did hashtag Peggy's Cove, I'm sure that there in the hashtags, there's your mark," Gough said.
The province says it's unfortunate to see vandalism at the iconic attraction.
"I hope that this behaviour doesn't continue, but if it does, I would encourage collaboration between all orders of government to find a solution to protect the beauty of the landmark," said incumbent MP and Liberal candidate Bernadette Jordan.
The lighthouse is property of the federal Department of Fisheries and Cceans.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Emily Baron Cadloff.
